The Director-General of the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), Major General Maxwell Obuba Mantey, has raised concerns about security lapses at Ghana’s airports, revealing that suspected drug traffickers are adopting sophisticated methods to evade screening procedures, including acquiring their own scanners.
Appearing before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Major General Mantey described how some airport security personnel allegedly exploit their positions to bypass established security protocols, potentially creating opportunities for traffickers to evade detection.
He cited an incident involving a supervisory security officer who allegedly entered an airport with a bag and bypassed a screening point despite the security checks required of personnel.
According to him, the officer proceeded to a washroom, where he changed with a bag reportedly used by a traveller before continuing towards a flight.
“If you look at what my minister said about the airport security guy, I mean he is one of the supervisors. He comes in with a bag, you are a subordinate. You cannot say you should check him,” Major General Mantey told the committee.
He added that the officer allegedly bypassed the screening point and went to the washroom with the same bag used by the traveller before the traveller proceeded towards a flight.